1966 Volume 57 Issue 3 Pages 225-235
Histological examinations of the thyroid, adrenal and sexual glands which were obtained from 10 cases of diabetics, were performed. These were selected from the routine necropsy cases at the Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine. All cases known to have had endocrine disease without diabetics were excluded. These tissues were fixed in 10% neutral formol saline and sectioned at a thickness of 4 micra. These sections were stainedby Hematoxylin-Eosin, Elastica-Masson, PAS stain etc.
In most of patients, follicles of the thyroid gland were large and the epithelial cells of them were low and flat. The colloid was increased in amount. These appearances suggested hypofunction of the thyroid gland.
Characteristic features of the adrenal cortex in diabetics were hyperplasia of the zona fasciculata. No remarkable change in the zona glomerulosa, reticularis and medulla of the adrenal glands was recognized without hyperemia.
Testicular findings revealed thkicnening of the basement membrane of the tubules and hypospermatogenesis.
The ovaries of almost all diabetic patients were atrophic and fibrous. Maturating ovarian follicles were not seen.
Endocrine studies of patients revealed that almost all cases had normal limits of urinary excretion of 17-KS and 17-OHCS.
Results of the histological and endocrinological studies suggest that these changes in diabetics are due to hypofunction of the pituitary gland (hypoexcretion of ACTH, TSH and Gonadotropin). Furthermore, these hypofunction of the adrenal cortex and thyroid gland seemed to have influence of the sexual function. On the other hand, the degenerations of the nerves innervating sexual glands in diabetics were confirmed by Saito and Kurihara. According to these findings it can be assumed that sexual disturbances in diabetics will be of neurogenic origin and impairment of endocrine tissues.
